May 24, Cubs.com, Cubs muscle past Giants to back Lester

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1 May 24, 2017 Cubs.com, Cubs muscle past Giants to back Lester Cubs.com, Lester goes distance with 4-hitter, 10 K's Cubs.com, Surging Hendricks set to oppose Giants Cubs.com, Heyward takes charge with rookie in center Cubs.com, Wright sets up auction for Texas tornado relief ESPNChicago.com, Jon Lester's complete game issues challenge to Cubs' staff CSNChicago.com, Are Cubs In The Middle Of A Giant World Series Hangover Or About To Turn The 2017 Season Around? season-around CSNChicago.com, Joe Maddon Explains His Defensive Foot Fetish And What Cubs Need To See From Ian Happ In Center Field CSNChicago.com, Jon Lester Beats Giants And Johnny Cueto, Showing Why He's Cubs Ace CSNChicago.com, Kyle Schwarber Goes Star Trek, Launching Home Run Out Of Wrigley Field And Onto Sheffield Avenue Chicago Tribune, Cubs provide power to support Jon Lester's complete game win over Giants Chicago Tribune, Kyle Hendricks will take inventory of weather and Giants' lineup Wednesday Chicago Tribune, Joe Maddon on Ian Happ's defense: 'I have a defensive foot fetish'

2 Chicago Tribune, Willson Contreras shows how one impromptu gesture can make a fan for life column.html Chicago Sun-Times, Jon Lester pitches complete game in Cubs 4-1 win over Giants, Cueto Chicago Sun-Times, Swinging or missing? Cubs still seek identity, strong personality Chicago Sun-Times, Cubs pay for 30 more cameras around Wrigley, still want streets closed Daily Herald, True complete game for Lester, Chicago Cubs Daily Herald, Maddon continues to back Schwarber's outfield defense Cubs.com Cubs muscle past Giants to back Lester By Chris Haft and Carrie Muskat CHICAGO When Jon Lester and Johnny Cueto last squared off, it was Game 1 of the National League Division Series, and the Cubs won on Javier Baez's eighth-inning home run. On Tuesday, the Cubs didn't wait that long to connect against the Giants right-hander. Kyle Schwarber and Jason Heyward homered in the first and second innings, respectively, and Anthony Rizzo added a two-run shot in the fourth to give Lester all he needed and power the Cubs to a 4-1 victory Tuesday night over the Giants. "We were able to get four tonight instead of one like we did against Cueto in the playoffs," Heyward said. "It was kind of a similar game. It's another four-game set against these guys like we had last year [in the postseason]. It's going to be a good [series]; pitchers are going to pitch and we have to take what we can get on both sides. For Jonny to come out and do something like that is huge, especially against a guy like Cueto." After a rain delay of 1 hour, 5 minutes, Lester struck out the side in the first on 15 pitches and then posted the first complete game by a Cubs pitcher this season, and his first since Sept. 2 when he went the distance against the Giants. The lefty struck out 10 and faced the minimum in every inning but the fifth when the Giants tallied on Brandon Crawford's RBI double. "The complete game now is few and far between," Lester said. "There's always that gratification to finish it and walk off and shake everybody's hand as they come off the field." Lester felt the Giants were aggressive against him he did not have a single three-ball count in the game and felt he and catcher Willson Contreras were able to disguise their pitches. "He threw a lot more changeups than I've ever seen when facing him," said Giants catcher Buster Posey, who recalled seeing that pitch from Lester on a 2-0 count. "He's shown it in the past, but tonight he had good command of it. It wasn't just a show-me pitch. He used it a lot. He used it to lefties as well." Cueto now has given up 11 homers this season after serving up 15 all of last year. It's the first time he's given up three in a game since the Orioles hit four off the right-hander Sept. 13, Cueto did strike out eight over six innings, scattering five hits. The Giants lost for only the third time in their last 11 games.

3 "He just pitches so well," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "He's a fun baseball player. He's definitely a throwback and I really enjoy watching him play, even his at-bats." MOMENTS THAT MATTERED Ballhawks: Schwarber gave a 3-2 slider from Cueto a ride with one out in the first, launching the pitch over the right-field bleachers and onto Sheffield Avenue. It was Schwarber's seventh homer of the season and the first by any player to hit the street this year. It also was Schwarber's first home run with two strikes in the count. The ball had some oomph as the exit velocity was measured at 114 mph and it sailed 470 feet. It's the longest non-kris Bryant home run tracked by Statcast. Bryant leads the team with homers of 495 feet and 477 feet. "It got small fast," Maddon said of Schwarber's blast. "It's almost like when you used to watch 'Star Trek,' when it came on, and the Enterprise would just fly by and get really small. It kind of had that Enterprise-esque look to it it was there and it was gone. It got small quickly." Defense: Lester faced the minimum number of batters through four innings. Posey then doubled to open the Giants fifth and one out later, he scored on Crawford's double. Eduardo Nunez singled, but catcher Contreras threw him out attempting to steal second and Lester struck out Gorkys Hernandez to end the Giants' threat. It's the ninth time Contreras has thrown out a baserunner this season. According to Statcast, Contreras' pop time was 1.89 with an arm strength of 84.8 mph. Giants manager Bruce Bochy defended Nunez, who had the green light to run if he wished. "We weren't going to stop him there," Bochy said. "We're going to keep on being aggressive." Said Lester: "[Contreras] was the one who called time before he threw Nunez out because we had a different pitch and he had a feeling they were going to try to go there. I knew if I was fairly quick to the plate, we had a chance. I thought Crawford was going to try to go and do a double steal, but Willie put it on the money again." QUOTABLE "It impacts the rest of the starting pitchers. It's contagious, like hitting is contagious. They feed off one another and that's what we have to do on a more consistent basis. I like to believe something like that can tweak the starters in a good way." Maddon, on Lester's complete game SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS Lester is the first Cubs pitcher with a complete game under 100 pitches since Carlos Zambrano did so on Sept. 25, 2009, against the Giants (98 pitches). WHAT'S NEXT Giants: Matt Moore hopes to continue his mini-surge when he opposes the Cubs in Wednesday's 5:05 p.m. PT encounter. The left-hander is 1-0 with a 2.89 ERA in his last three starts. He has never faced the Cubs in the regular season, though he allowed them two runs (one earned) while striking out 10 in eight innings in Game 4 of last year's Division Series. Cubs: Kyle Hendricks will make his fourth career start against the Giants on Wednesday night in the third game of this four-game series. He's 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts after opening the season with a 6.19 ERA in three outings. First pitch is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT.

4 Cubs.com Lester goes distance with 4-hitter, 10 K's By Scott Chasen CHICAGO Jon Lester heard the talk about Johnny Cueto. The Cubs left-hander wasn't leaving Wrigley Field without reminding everyone he's just as lethal. "I'm not too shabby, right?" Lester joked after a 4-1 Cubs win Tuesday. "I've had a decent career." The not-too-shabby ace dominated his start against the Giants, pitching the 15th complete game of his career. Lester struck out 10 batters without allowing a count to even reach three balls. The Giants totaled four baserunners against the lefty with only one coming outside of the fifth inning. Perhaps the most impressive part of his dominance, Lester became the first Cubs pitcher to throw a complete game in under 100 pitches since Sept. 25, 2009, when Carlos Zambrano did the same against the Giants. "That's classic stuff. He just kept getting better," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said. "A real thoroughbred starting pitcher starts to feel it, and I think that's what was going on." And it all came on a day when it looked like Lester might not even get to pitch. With rainfall starting in the afternoon and picking up about an hour before Lester's start, the grounds crew worked quickly to get the field ready for the outing. It was still drizzling by the time Lester stepped foot on the mound, but he wasn't concerned about that, at least. "You've got to make sure you don't turn off," Lester said. "Obviously nobody wants to start in the rain, but I was glad they went ahead and started it." Lester showed no signs of rust, striking out the side in the first inning and facing the minimum number of batters through four. The Giants hitters attacked Lester, going after him early in the count and rallying for a run in the fifth. After surrendering the run, Lester began to show signs of frustration. He pinpointed his reaction to mistakes in one atbat, when Brandon Crawford doubled off a cutter right over the middle of the plate to drive in the run. "I think the thing that made me mad there was just the unexecuted pitch to Crawford," Lester said. "The first pitch was bad and and the second pitch was even worse." He didn't make any more mistakes, though. In fact, after Eduardo Nunez was caught stealing to make the second out of the fifth inning, the Giants didn't tally another baserunner. Lester returned for the ninth strong as ever and finished off the game with two more strikeouts for good measure. "I think the complete game now is few and far between," Lester said. "There's always that gratification to go out there and finish it and walk off and shake everybody's hand as they go off the field." Cubs.com Surging Hendricks set to oppose Giants By Scott Chasen Matt Moore's last start against the Cubs was excellent. He went eight innings, struck out 10 batters and allowed two hits and two runs (one earned) in Game 4 of the National League Division Series. If he has his way this time, though, his start will end with a win.

5 Moore (2-4, 5.37 ERA) will be back on the mound Wednesday as the Cubs and Giants play the third of a four-game set at Wrigley Field. After a couple of shaky outings April 22 and May 2, Moore has started to regain his form, allowing a combined six runs in his last three starts. However, the man he'll square off with Wednesday might be on an even better run. While some of the Cubs starters have struggled into May, right-hander Kyle Hendricks (3-2, 3.35 ERA) has been immune to such a slump. The right-hander is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA over his last five starts and has only surrendered more than three runs in a game twice this season. He'll look to keep that momentum going against a Giants offense that knocked him out of the game early the last time they squared off Game 2 of the NLDS. Things to know about this game Ben Zobrist has reached safely in 21 consecutive games, which marks the third-longest streak in the Majors. Since sitting out two games to help his ailing back, the super-utility player has thrived. In the five games after he sat out, Zobrist hit 8-for-19 (.421) with two home runs and four RBIs. As a team the Giants have begun to heat up when it comes to the long ball they entered Tuesday having hit 19 homers in their last 14 games but still haven't turned that into much offensive production. The last Giants' nonsolo home run was hit by Hunter Pence on May 8. Over his first six starts of the season, Hendricks got a total of 14 swinging strikes with fastballs. But over his past two outings, he has racked up 17, including a career-high nine his last time out against the Reds. Hendricks also has gone to fastballs more often in those two starts (75 percent) than he did previously this year (64 percent). Hoping to rejoin San Francisco's lineup, center fielder Denard Span said Tuesday that he'll test his injured left thumb before Wednesday's game. Speaking after the Giants' 4-1 loss, Span said he didn't try taking batting practice Tuesday but reported his thumb, which also sidelined him Monday, felt significantly better. Span, the leadoff hitter who has appeared in 23 of San Francisco's 47 games, is batting.258 with two home runs and eight RBIs. In nine games before injuring his thumb, Span batted.326 (14-for-43) with a double, triple, two homers and six RBIs. Cubs.com Heyward takes charge with rookie in center By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO Usually, the center fielder is the field general during a game, but right fielder Jason Heyward is the boss in the Cubs outfield. "Watch Jason," Cubs manager Joe Maddon said Tuesday. "He really has a lot of movement, some of it subtle, but there's movement per pitch, per hitter, and it's all on his own, it's all instinctive stuff. While he's doing that, he's making sure center field is in concert with him." The Cubs are hoping Heyward's expertise rubs off on rookie Ian Happ, who is new to center field. When Happ made his first start in center, Maddon made a note to make sure coach Dave Martinez stressed to the youngster the need to communicate with the corner outfielders and be aware of the brick wall at Wrigley Field. "With Jason out there as a right fielder, he really directs traffic well," Maddon said of the four-time Gold Glove winner. "You look up and [Heyward] is like right there. It's just a sense he's got. There's very few guys I've had, espcially that young, who play that well." And if a ball does drop between Heyward and another outfielder?

6 "When a ball falls between those two guys, I'm always surprised," Maddon said. Happ won't be playing every day. Maddon wants to ease the 22-year-old into the big league routine. "I want to take care of him, I don't want to grind him into the ground," Maddon said. "Even though I was a horrible economics student, I really do believe in the point of diminishing returns. You have to be careful with that stuff." Maddon believes rest is important and wants to make sure to use everyone on the bench, so Happ will share center. The Cubs do have depth that most teams do not have. "The difference with our group regarding constructing a lineup daily is that a lot of teams may have bench players who they really don't want to play," Maddon said. "We have bench players who we really want to play and that's probably the difference. It's up to me that none of these guys sit too long and you try to find the best moment to inject them into the game, i.e., [Monday] night with Albert [Almora Jr.]" On Tuesday, Almora was on the Cubs bench with Miguel Montero, Jon Jay and Javier Baez. "There's an argument they could be starting somewhere else tonight for another group," Maddon said. "That's the beauty of what we have going on right now and it's also the most difficult thing I have to do daily." The Cubs tweaked the bullpen Tuesday and recalled right-hander Felix Pena from Triple-A Iowa and optioned lefty Zac Rosscup to the Minor League team. "Felix has done some nice work up here," Maddon said. "He's ready to roll." The first time he was promoted from Iowa, Pena pitched 3 2/3 innings May 6 against the Yankees, and three days later, he filled in with 1 1/3 innings against the Rockies. In the second outing, he gave up two hits. Maddon saw the video of the Cubs and Brewers relievers staging their own dance-off in their respective bullpens. "I love that I think it's great," Maddon said of the good-natured competition, which the Brewers started. Carl Edwards Jr. was impressive with his version of "the worm" dance. Maddon speculated they're auditioning for the next "Dancing with the Stars," which former Cubs catcher David Ross is competing in. "They all want to be on that show," Maddon said. "[Anthony] Rizzo wants to be on that show, [Edwards] obviously wants to be on that show. [Bullpen coach] Lester Strode wants to be on that show 'Dancing with the Coaches.' "I love that stuff. You're not showing up anybody, and you saw it the other day when both bullpens were involved." Cubs.com Wright sets up auction for Texas tornado relief By Carrie Muskat CHICAGO When Ty Wright saw the devastation in East Texas caused by tornadoes last month, he became concerned about whether friends and family were safe. The hitting coach for Class A Advanced Myrtle Beach, Wright then decided to do something to try to help the people restore their lives. With the help of his former Minor League teammate, Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo, plus former coach Ryne Sandberg and ex-teammate Jordy Mercer, Wright has organized an auction to help support the Van Zandt County (Texas) Tornado Relief Fund. There is an online auction that begins Monday and runs through June 3, and a silent auction May 31-June 3 at TicketReturn.com Field at Pelicans Ballpark.

7 Four people were killed and dozens injured when the tornadoes ripped through East Texas near Canton in late April. Wright, 32, is from nearby Tyler, Texas, but he attended high school at Wills Point, near Canton, which was hit hardest. "It's one of those things where a lot of my friends and their extended families were affected by the tornadoes," Wright said. "I'm really lucky that I played with some of these guys who are in the big leagues and remain friends with them and remain in contact with them, and they're tremendous people." Wright sent a text message to Rizzo, who was his teammate at Triple-A Iowa. Rizzo answered immediately. "I don't need to say another word about Rizzo he just does so much," Wright said. Wright also contacted Pirates infielder Mercer, who was his teammate at Oklahoma State. The two went into the OSU Hall of Fame together this past offseason, and Mercer also contributed items for the benefit auction. "He's another one of those guys who is along the same lines as Rizzo," Wright said. "A lot of their time is dedicated to their organizations, and for them to take five minutes out of their day to do this shows a lot about those guys." Pelicans general manager Andy Milovich didn't hesitate when Wright asked if Myrtle Beach's staff could help him with the fundraiser. Among the items available are a game-used bat signed by Rizzo and Kris Bryant, plus baseballs signed by the two as well as Jason Heyward and a number of other Cubs. Sandberg also donated some autographed items. All of the proceeds will be donated to the Van Zandt County Tornado Relief Fund. Wright, who was originally drafted by the Cubs in the seventh round in 2007, played seven seasons in the Minor League system. This is his first year on the Pelicans' coaching staff. For more information, go to MyrtleBeachPelicans.com/Auctions. ESPNChicago.com Jon Lester's complete game issues challenge to Cubs' staff By Jesse Rogers CHICAGO Chicago Cubs ace Jon Lester said he didn't mind sharing the headlines with his good friend David Ross after Lester pitched a complete game against the San Francisco Giants on Tuesday, while Ross was waiting to hear if he won ABC's "Dancing with the Stars." As it turned out, Ross came in second, but even if he'd won the competition, it would have been difficult for him to outshine Lester's performance. It was that good. "A complete game is few and far between, especially in the National League," Lester said after the 4-1 win. "It's a hard thing to do now." Consider his night: Lester is the first pitcher in baseball this season to throw a complete game without going to three balls on any hitter. According to ESPN Stats & Information, it happened just once last season, by Ivan Nova in September. Lester became the first Cubs pitcher to throw a complete game using less than 100 pitches since Carlos Zambrano in Lester needed 99 on Tuesday. He struck out the side in the first and two more in the ninth, ending the night with 10 K's. It was his 28th career double-digit strikeout game.

8 Lester helped produce the quickest game in baseball this season, lasting just 2 hours, 5 minutes. It was the quickest Cubs game since May 9, And the whole performance came after a 1:05 rain delay, which included a few minutes of waiting even after he warmed up. The umpires were watching the radar, as this game could have started and stopped all night. A lot could have gone wrong, but nothing did. "You better make sure you don't turn off," Lester said of the delays. "Once you get going [warmed up], there's really no turning back from there." It doesn't hurt when you're facing an historically bad offense in the Giants, who are on pace for the lowest batting average in team history. Lester took advantage and was most pleased he gave up no free passes, let alone no three-ball counts. He was asked what it told him about his outing. "It tells you a combination of things," he said. "They were aggressive. They were trying not to get to my off-speed pitches. We were able to disguise that a little bit. I'm glad the no-walks thing. There's been a few too many walks for me this year." So what does this all mean besides a night off for the bullpen? Manager Joe Maddon said he wants to believe there are bigger implications. "I think it impacts the rest of the starting pitchers," Maddon said. "It's contagious. They feed off one another. I'd like to believe something like that can really tweak the starters in a good way." They could use a "tweak," considering the Cubs' rotation ranks 10th in ERA in the National League, and that's after Lester's brilliant performance. It remains to be seen if there can be a carryover effect, considering the inconsistency in that rotation. Perhaps the only one who has inspired real confidence is the guy who pitched Tuesday. The Cubs don't know what they'll get the other days of the week, but right now Lester is on his game. "That's classic stuff," Maddon said. "He just kept on getting better." At least Cubs nation can celebrate one win Tuesday although second place in a dancing competition isn't all that bad either. CSNChicago.com Are Cubs In The Middle Of A Giant World Series Hangover Or About To Turn The 2017 Season Around? By Patrick Mooney Joe Maddon is talking up moral victories in late May the defending champs keep playing hard while getting questions about how the 2017 team still needs to create its own identity. This is the symbiotic relationship between the Cubs manager and the Chicago media. There is a fine line between giving context and making excuses, overreacting to a small sample size and ignoring the breakdowns in every phase of the game so far. The Cubs shouldn t be covered like an NFL team, where every game leads to sweeping conclusions. But at some point this year, the old Bill Parcells line will come true: You are what your record says you are. In many ways, the San Francisco Giants are the model for business/baseball synergy, but even they couldn t make the playoffs the year after winning the World Series in 2010, 2012 and 2014, each time finishing at least eight games out of first place and dealing with the kind of hangover the Cubs are experiencing now, making this fourgame series at Wrigley Field a reality check.

9 Our guys have a great mindset, Cubs president Theo Epstein said. They re a little frustrated, as anyone would be with how we re playing, but they have a lot of heart and they really care. I think they know how good they can be and they want to attain that level. There s no lack of urgency. There s no complacency because we won last year. There s also confidence in what we can and will do when guys hit their stride. There s no panic, but there s also a lot of guys in there who care about playing up to our capabilities. That s one of the reasons I have so much trust in this group and a lot of confidence that we re going to get it straightened out. You don t know when it s going to happen. You never quite know where the bottom is. You never quite know what catalytic event is going to turn things around. Maybe Tuesday night s 4-1 win will be a springboard, the way the Cubs swept a four-game series against the Giants in August 2015 and kept rolling into the National League Championship Series. Jon Lester pitched brilliantly in a complete-game, 10-strikeouts, zero-walks performance, carrying a rotation that began the day with a 4.45 ERA that ranked 17th in the majors. Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo each homered off Johnny Cueto, showing signs of life for a high-profile offense that began the day with a.746 OPS that ranked 14th in the majors. Everything s also relative in an NL Central where the Cubs (23-21) have the most talent, the most money and the clearest direction at the trade deadline. There will be no buy-or-sell debates within Epstein s front office or too much worrying about the future. You look at our division right now and you can talk about anybody s record, Heyward said. Whoever s in first right now, they re not doing much better than we are. Whoever s in last, they re not doing much worse than we are. That s just kind of how the division s going right now. We understand that it s going to be whoever steps up and finishes the season strong (will) come out on top. You kind of get the drift that the wild-card team s not going to come from this division at this point. There s a lot of baseball left, obviously, and you can t pencil anybody in or cancel anybody out. We just got to go out here and keep trying to put it together. Keep being in every ballgame, keep making adjustments and see what it brings. Across these last two nights at Clark and Addison, the Cubs have also flashed the athleticism, skills and instincts that transformed them into a historic defensive unit last season, which makes the 37 errors and 28 unearned runs through 44 games so puzzling. Last year, our starting pitching was excellent, general manager Jed Hoyer said. Our offense, it had its ups and downs, but largely it was very good and it will be very good this year. But the defense hasn t been as solid. And last year, it was borderline spectacular. Not only was it clean, but it was also that we made big plays at big times. It just felt like something that happened a lot. This year, we ve made a lot of mistakes and we haven t really made those big defensive plays. I don t have an explanation for that. You think of defense as sort of a constant. (But) clearly as a team it s been like anything else you go up and down. That was the backbone of our team last year and we need to get back to that point. Before getting carried away with a win over Cueto and the Giants, remember this is also a team that has allowed 46 runs in the first inning and needed 12 come-from-behind wins to stay two games above.500. The longest winning streak so far is four games and that happened a month ago. I don t think that our deficits are because guys don t show up to play, Hoyer said. You give up a two-run homer in the first and now you re scrambling from behind. The one thing about baseball is I feel like when you re not hitting, when you re making some errors, the first thing people point to is: Oh, they look dead. They look tired.

10 The Cubs have been at the.500 mark at eight different points this season without suffering a major injury and while getting contributions from Triple-A Iowa (Ian Happ, Eddie Butler) and nailing their biggest offseason move (Wade Davis). There are reasons why Major League Baseball hasn t seen a team win back-to-back championships since the New York Yankees became a three-peat dynasty 1998, 1999, 2000 on top of their 1996 World Series title. I can t imagine this group given what they went through last year, given how much they care about each other (would be) taking anything for granted, Hoyer said. I just don t think we ve played our best baseball yet. And I think we will. CSNChicago.com Joe Maddon Explains His Defensive Foot Fetish And What Cubs Need To See From Ian Happ In Center Field By Patrick Mooney Joe Maddon went Full Larry David while trying to explain what the Cubs need to see from Ian Happ in center field. I m into feet, man, Maddon said. I just like good feet. I don t have a foot fetish, other than defense. I have a defensive foot fetish. I admit to it. And with that, Maddon got up from his chair and walked out of the Wrigley Field interview room after Tuesday night s 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants, saying: You can t top that. The only thing missing for the Cubs manager in that moment was the Curb Your Enthusiasm theme music. Maddon gave credit to bench coach Dave Martinez and the team s scouting reports for Happ s sliding catch, which took a leadoff hit away from Brandon Belt in the seventh inning of Jon Lester s complete-game masterpiece. The guy s really confident, Maddon said. Now I ve seen some things we need to work on fundamentally out there. And I ve already talked to Davey about it. And I know Happer s going to work on that to make it even better. But he was positioned well, I thought, by our guys. He was in the right spots. If Happ needs work on reading swings and running routes, remember that the Cubs drafted and developed him as an infielder/outfielder with Maddon s versatility ideals in mind. Actually, the Cubs went offense first with the ninth overall pick in 2015, fast-tracking a switch-hitter who needed only 26 games with Triple-A Iowa. While Happ didn t exactly appreciate or fully understand where the knocks on his defensive game came from out of the University of Cincinnati, he will be in the lineup when he puts up a.323 average and a OPS through his first nine games with the Cubs. Just saw a couple little things I would like to see him address and get better with, Maddon said. Again, I m being nitpicky right now, because I want him to be really good at this. His arm s fabulous. He throws really well. Yeah, I mean, he could be really good out there. CSNChicago.com Jon Lester Beats Giants And Johnny Cueto, Showing Why He's Cubs Ace By Patrick Mooney As much as the Cubs dreaded the idea of facing Johnny Cueto and Madison Bumgarner in an elimination game last October and feeling all that anxiety rippling throughout the crowd at Wrigley Field the San Francisco Giants still would have had to beat Jon Lester that night.

11 The Giants know how good Lester is, sending future Hall of Fame manager Bruce Bochy and All-Star catcher Buster Posey as part of the recruiting visit to his Georgia home shortly after winning the 2014 World Series. There were even rumblings of a $168 million proposal from the Giants at the winter meetings where Lester took a six-year, $155 million megadeal and the chance to make history in Chicago. So Lester won t take it personal when manager Joe Maddon talks about last year s entire postseason hinging on avoiding Cueto and winning that divisional round in four games. I m not too shabby, right? Lester said with a smile after dominating the Giants during Tuesday night s 4-1 complete-game victory. I ve had a decent career. That Lester vs. Cueto rematch in Game 5 never happened, because the Cubs pulled off a Giant comeback in San Francisco. After winning a 1-0 instant classic against Cueto in Game 1, Lester went on to become the National League Championship Series co-mvp and win his third World Series ring. Nobody wants to face a guy like that, Lester said. He was throwing the ball really, really well at that time. And, obviously, all the stuff he does on the mound really, really screws up guys timing. He made a couple mistakes tonight and we were able to put them in the seats. That doesn t happen very often. I know what I can do on my side of the ball. But that would have been a tough game. After waiting out a 65-minute rain delay, Lester struck out the side in the first inning and again outdueled Cueto. Keeping a Giant lineup looking fastball off-balance with changeups, Lester allowed four hits and finished with 10 strikeouts and zero walks in a game that took only 2 hours and 5 minutes. Where Cueto has a 4.64 ERA and blisters on his right middle and index fingers Kyle Schwarber, Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo drove balls onto Sheffield Avenue and into the right-field basket and bleachers Lester (3-2, 3.19 ERA) appears to be picking up where he left off last October/November. You can t really say that about the Cubs as a whole, but Lester s 15th career complete game is a step in the right direction. It s been close for a while, Lester said. I feel like we just haven t put it all together at once. I ve said it a million times and I hate to beat a dead horse but I feel like when we pitch well, we don t hit. And when we hit, we don t pitch well. It s been kind of back and forth for us, so it s nice to limit runs and give our guys a chance. CSNChicago.com Kyle Schwarber Goes Star Trek, Launching Home Run Out Of Wrigley Field And Onto Sheffield Avenue By Patrick Mooney Where the Cubs needed a Javier Baez basket shot to beat Johnny Cueto last October the swing that might have changed the entire direction of their World Series run Kyle Schwarber left no doubt with this one. Schwarber launched Cueto s 91-mph fastball out of Wrigley Field and onto Sheffield Avenue on Tuesday night, setting the tone in the first inning of a 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants with a mammoth home run that Statcast measured at 470 feet. Whoa, it got small fast, manager Joe Maddon said. It s almost like when you used to watch Star Trek when it came on and the Enterprise would just fly by the screen and get really small. It kind of had that Enterprise-esque look to it. It was there and then it was gone. Cueto, the funky right-hander with the dreadlocks, rocker steps and quick pitches, is now dealing with blisters on his middle and index fingers, which may partially explain his 4.64 ERA and San Francisco s record.

12 Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo jumped Cueto first pitches in the second and fourth innings, with balls landing in the right-field basket and right-field bleachers as the Cubs (23-21) played perhaps their most complete game this season. Schwarber s batting average will read.186 on the big video board the next time he steps into the box at Wrigley Field. But Ben Zobrist s production as a leadoff hitter could make Schwarber more comfortable and settled in the No. 2 spot. And teams still have to account for Schwarber s thunderous left-handed power (seven homers) and overall patience (25 walks and 4.22 pitches per plate appearance). It s a continuous process, Schwarber said. I m still going to work every day and trying to figure this thing out. I m going to go up there every day and be confident. Chicago Tribune Cubs provide power to support Jon Lester's complete game win over Giants By Mark Gonzales Jon Lester's complete game, three home runs off formidable Johnny Cueto and solid defense Tuesday night showed off traits the Cubs have been seeking consistently this season. Those components blended well in a 4-1 victory over the Giants that took only 2 hours, 5 minutes to complete after a rain delay of 1:05. And the Cubs believe those elements coming together bode well for the consistent winning that has eluded them so far. "It has been close for a while," Lester said after striking out 10 and walking none in a 99-pitch outing that marked the Cubs starters' first complete-game effort. "We haven't put it all together at once." The Cubs (23-21) have won five of their last seven games and slugged 15 home runs during that stretch, including three consecutive multiple-homer games. After the pregame fretting over facing Cueto, the Cubs quickly went to work as Lester struck out the side in the first and Kyle Schwarber, batting second in the order, smacked a home run in the Cubs' half of the inning that cleared the right-field bleachers and traveled 470 feet, according to Statcast. "It got small fast," manager Joe Maddon said. "It almost was like when you used to watch 'Star Trek' when it came on and the Enterprise (starship) would fly by the screen and get small." Schwarber, meanwhile, enjoyed his view from left field as Lester (3-2) worked at a brisk pace against an aggressive Giants lineup in improving to 5-1 with a 2.00 ERA in six career starts against them. Lester became the Cubs' first pitcher to throw a complete game with fewer than 100 pitches since Carlos Zambrano used 98 to beat the Giants on Sept. 25, "That's classic stuff," Maddon said of Lester, who did not have any three-ball counts. "He just kept getting better." Lester, who gave up only one double and three singles, allowed the bullpen to reset and was able to "tweak the starters in a good way," Maddon said. Lester improved to 12-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his last 16 regular-season home starts, one victory shy of Jon Lieber's streak at Wrigley in "I'm not too shabby, right?" Lester joked. "I've had a decent career." Jason Heyward and Anthony Rizzo joined Schwarber in the homer parade, marking the first time Cueto has surrendered three home runs in a game since Sept. 13, 2015, while pitching for the Royals at Baltimore.

13 Cueto hadn't allowed three homers in any of his previous 24 starts against the Cubs. He revealed to reporters he was pitching with blisters on his right middle and index fingers. Lester received a huge lift from catcher Willson Contreras, who visited the mound to change the pitch selection before throwing out Eugenio Nunez on a steal attempt with the tying run at the plate in the fifth. "(Contreras) has learned on the fly," Lester said. "It's hard to do, especially in that position." And rookie Ian Happ made a sliding catch to rob Brandon Belt of a hit to open the seventh Chicago Tribune Kyle Hendricks will take inventory of weather and Giants' lineup Wednesday By Mark Gonzales Before Kyle Hendricks takes the mound Wednesday, he will take a long look at the direction of the flags and script his game plan accordingly. Hendricks closely watched how the Giants' hitters reacted to the windy elements Monday night in smacking five extra-base hits in five innings against John Lackey and admitted he might need to expand his plan of attack. "Lackey made a lot of good pitches, and a few of those balls got out that probably wouldn't have gotten out on another day," Hendricks said. "Sometimes in those conditions you have to throw in more and get them to jam themselves. The Giants did a good job getting way down and away and extending themselves. There's nothing you can do. It's just one of those element-type games." Hendricks is 2-1 with a 1.82 ERA in his last five starts and has limited left-handed hitters to a.192 batting average. But he might have to expand his repertoire. "You have to be aggressive and get ahead because you have to make them respect that," Hendricks said. "You have to change their eye level. You can't be predictable in those conditions. If you're sitting down and away or throwing something too much and they're sitting on it, getting more barrel on the ball, it could be the difference between the ball going out and staying in the yard. So I'm mixing it up a lot more, pitching in and out, changing the eye level. Get them off your pitches." Who are these guys? Manager Joe Maddon acknowledges the Cubs still are seeking their identity after losing Dexter Fowler, David Ross, Travis Wood and Jason Hammel in the offseason. "We lost a couple of guys who were very prominent last season, and now there are other guys shifting into that level or method of influence," Maddon said. "And it's going to happen. There's still some of that going on." That's why Maddon was so encouraged by the Cubs' comeback and supportive atmosphere in Monday night in a 6-4 loss. "It's all about process for me," Maddon said. "That's when you're going to see the wins start piling up." Pena promoted: Reliever Felix Pena, who was optioned to Triple-A Iowa to make room for outfielder Ian Happ, was promoted and will take the place of left-hander Zac Rosscup, who pitched two-thirds of an inning Monday.

14 Chicago Tribune Joe Maddon on Ian Happ's defense: 'I have a defensive foot fetish' By Mark Gonzales Cubs manager Joe Maddon has a foot fetish, particularly when it comes to footwork of rookie Ian Happ in center field. I m into feet, Maddon said Tuesday night after noticing that Happ could use some tips in getting in a better position to make plays easier. I like good feet. I don t have a foot fetish, other than defense. I have a defensive foot fetish. Happ started in center for the fifth time and made a sliding catch to rob Brandon Belt of a hit in the seventh inning of the Cubs 4-1 win over the San Francisco Giants. But Maddon cited Happ s lack of overall experience in center and spoke to coach Dave Martinez about how Happ can improve. He was positioned better, Maddon said. I saw a couple things l d like to see him address and get better. Maddon admitted he may be nitpicking because of Happ s strong arm. He can be really good out there, Maddon said. But Maddon would like Happ to improve his footwork after making his first step. Chicago Tribune Willson Contreras shows how one impromptu gesture can make a fan for life By Paul Sullivan Sometimes good things happen when you least expect it, as occurred Friday at Wrigley Field after a long rain delay during the Cubs-Brewers game. Before the game resumed, catcher Willson Contreras decided to warm up by playing catch near the Cubs' dugout. But instead of throwing to a teammate, Contreras did so with a young fan. Contreras and a boy standing in an aisle a few rows behind the dugout played catch for only about 30 seconds. Contreras motioned for the kid to keep the ball after the ninth throw between them, then turned and went back to work behind the plate in what turned out to be a Cubs loss. It was no big deal to Contreras, who said he enjoys interacting with fans. "I was just trying to have fun before the game started again, and I saw the kid asking for a baseball," he said. "I just called him down and we started playing catch." Contreras said he hadn't planned to do it when he walked out of the dugout. Warming up with the fan just seemed natural. "It was just spur of the moment," he said. "He came down by himself. He didn't plan on doing it. It turned out pretty good, and I just made the kid happy." Contreras received a nice ovation from the fans who had waited out the rain delay. And a video of the impromptu warmup posted on the Cubs' Twitter account quickly went viral. Contreras went back to his job, and everyone else moved on. But the gesture was a small reminder of how easy it is for players to create a bond with fans and make the game experience better than it already is.

15 Signing autographs is the most obvious and time-honored method of appeasing fans, and some Cubs, such as Ben Zobrist, make a habit of it. Others don't do it for various reasons and even the ones who do sign sometimes get grief if they have to leave and miss some fans. One day during the 1997 season, Cubs third baseman Kevin Orie was sitting in the dugout a couple of hours before a game when fans leaned over and shouted at him: "Can you go get Sammy?... Can you go get Ryno?" referring to stars Sammy Sosa and Ryne Sandberg. Orie patiently listened to pleas for his teammates' autographs before sarcastically asking: "Anything else I can get you? How about a steak?" "Yeah," one fan replied. "I'll take a hot dog." Orie went to the clubhouse, returned a few minutes later and motioned to the fan, handing him a hot dog and cup of pop. The fan laughed at Orie's gesture then ate the hot dog. Orie gained a fan for life. It seems so simple, interacting with fans on a whim without the ulterior motive of drawing media attention. Red Sox ace Chris Sale did just that last month at Fenway Park, spending five minutes with a 24-year-old fan in the stands before a Cubs-Red Sox game and showing him how he grips a slider. Sahadev Sharma, who covers the Cubs for The Athletic website, happened to be standing nearby when the scene played out. Sharma posted a photo of Sale and the fan on Twitter, and it drew more than 6,300 likes and 23,000 retweets. Sale created a fan for life. He was just helping out an aspiring pitcher; Contreras and Orie were just having some fun brief moments in a marathon season quickly forgotten. But the lesson to be learned from these stories is simple. Baseball doesn't need to speed up the game to appeal to young fans. It just needs more players who get it. Chicago Sun-Times Jon Lester pitches complete game in Cubs 4-1 win over Giants, Cueto By Gordon Wittenmyer Who s afraid of Johnny Cueto? Cubs front office officials and the manager said they were last fall, when the Giants All-Star pitcher loomed as a possible Game 5 starter in the first round of the playoffs until the Cubs rallied in the ninth in San Francisco to close out that best-of-five series in Game 4. Of course, those fears got back to Cubs starter Jon Lester, who was prepared for the Game 5 showdown. "I'm not too shabby, right?" Jon Lester said, pretending to be offended by the Cubs' relief in avoiding a Cueto- Lester matchup in a winner-take-all Game 5 in last year's first round of the playoffs. I mean, I m not too shabby, right? I ve had a decent career, said Lester, who dominated the Giants in a 99-pitch, complete-game performance Tuesday to beat Cueto 4-1 in a rematch seven months in the making. Lester couldn t hold the straight face long before breaking into a smile.

16 Nah, nobody wants to face a guy like that. He was throwing the ball really, really well at the time, said Lester, who beat Cueto 1-0 in the first game of that Division Series. I know what I can do on my side of the ball and all that stuff. But that would have been a tough game. On Tuesday, Lester struck out 10, walked none and gave up just four hits three of which came in the fifth inning, when he was working with a 4-0 lead. He retired the final 13 he faced after that and faced the minimum three batters in every inning but the fifth (getting a double play along the way) for the Cubs first complete game of the year, 15th of Lester s career. That s classic Jon Lester, said left fielder Kyle Schwarber, who became the first hitter to clear the rebuilt rightfield bleachers with a Sheffield homer that put the Cubs up 1-0 in the first. Schwarber definitely set the tone, manager Joe Maddon said. Whoa. It got small fast. It s almost like when we used to watch Star Trek and when it came on the Enterprise would just fly by the screen and get really small. It kind of had that Enterprise-esque look to it. It was there and it was gone. Jason Heyward added a first-pitch shot into the right-field basket with one out in the second, and Anthony Rizzo followed Kris Bryant s leadoff single in the fourth with a two-run shot into the right-field bleachers, as the Cubs won for the fifth time in seven games. Cueto (4-4) has pitched with a blister on his right middle finger all season and recently developed a second blister on his index finger. Regardless, this night belonged to Lester, who improved to 12-0 with a 1.55 ERA in his last 16 home starts the longest such streak by a Cub since Jon Lieber won 13 in a row in The complete game now is few and far between, he said. It s a hard thing to do now, especially in the National League. There s always that gratification to go out there and finish it and walk off and shake everybody s hand as they come off the field. Notes: The Cubs revved up their bullpen shuttle again Tuesday, optioning left-hander Zac Rosscup to Class AAA Iowa after a 10-pitch appearance in his only day with the club. Taking his place was Felix Pena, who was recalled from Iowa. Ian Happ failed to reach base via hit or walk for the first time in his nine games. Chicago Sun-Times Swinging or missing? Cubs still seek identity, strong personality By Gordon Wittenmyer Good luck finding a milk carton big enough for the Cubs to list all the things missing so far from their efforts to repeat. Scoreless first innings. Production from the leadoff spot. Defensive stability in the outfield. Good weather. Bad opponents. The list could go on depending on the given distraction, series or 18-inning game. What hasn t been missing, they say, is effort or focus. And even after month-long slumps by key hitters and early struggles by the rotation, they were hovering just above.500 with a late lead Tuesday against the Giants. I don t think there s any of that, MVP Kris Bryant said recently. But I think when you lose certain guys that provide that intensity, like David Ross, it s just a matter of finding who s going to fill that hole. That s more where I see it, not in terms of on the field or any of that.